Until fall 2012, the record for a downtown condo was for a concrete penthouse offering oodles of space at $31.5 million. However, the recent sale of an industrial loft and the minimalist "glass box" condo tower has shown there is new demand for elaborately furnished condos in the downtown area – especially if the architecture and style is reminiscent of the prewar apartments found on the Upper East Side.

For example, in September 2012, a $42 million penthouse went under contract at a former Salvation Army women's hotel at 18 Gramercy Park. The news source claims that the structure will soon get redesigned by Robert A.M. Stern, the architect behind the luxury developments like 15 Central Park West.

These new downtown condos are offering new amenities in order to attract buyers who expect luxury and are accustom to paying for it. One feature that is particularly charming is radiant floor heating. The traditionally unexpected option is uncharacteristic for downtown New York properties. However, as more people seek out the feature, architects and developers are beginning to incorporate the energy-efficient technology.

Not only can radiant floor heating reduce heat loss and promote sustainable warmth levels without requiring a lot of energy, but it can be easily incorporated in a wide variety of building designs – ideal for both the modern and antique structures found in the downtown area. In addition, the comfort of radiant heating is superb and offers homeowners the ability to remain enveloped in warmth.

We get some very cold weather, but Warmboard makes those 10-degree days not so dramatic

I chose Warmboard for many reasons. I knew concrete systems and other alternatives were altogether more expensive. I also chose Warmboard for their technical services, the plan layout designs they provide, and the efficiency of both. My installers were using Warmboard for the first time, but as soon as they understood the layout pattern the installation moved along relatively quickly. Repairs to the tubing were easy to fix without a problem. Zoning was simple. We chose to have three zones and three floor covering choices; hardwood, natural stone, and carpet. Warmboard works well for us under all of them. I enjoy the even heat, the quiet, and the overall good performance. We’re very satisfied. We get some very cold weather, but Warmboard makes those 10-degree days not so dramatic. - Ed Keewitz, Carson City, NV

Welcome to Warmboard, Simply Smarter Radiant Heat

Warmboard was invented in 1992 by Architect and entrepreneur Terry Alsberg. It has since become one of the fastest growing and most popular radiant heating systems. Two things drive growth and popularity of Warmboard:

More comfortable radiant floor heating

Warmboard adjusts its radiant heat output to quickly match changing heat loads throughout the day and night. This gives you the exact feeling of warmth you desire from a radiant floor heat system. The goal of any radiant floor heating system is to ensure that the temperature that you feel in your home is exactly the temperature you desire, and to maintain this ideal comfort minute by minute, hour by hour. No other radiant heat system can match the precise control and fast response of a low mass Warmboard radiant heat system.

More energy efficient radiant floor heating

Warmboard is simply more conductive compared to all the other radiant heat systems. The job of a radiant heat system is to conduct heat from water in a tube to the surface of a radiant floor. This is why in radiant floor heating, conductivity is king. It is a simple law of physics that as conductivity goes up, water temperature goes down. It always saves money to heat water to a lower temperature, and therefore Warmboard is more energy efficient than all other radiant heat systems.